Epiphany Byzantine Catholic Church, Roswell Georgia

Epiphany Byzantine Catholic Church (1) is a parish of the Eparchy (Diocese) of Passaic, NJ, within the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of the United States, the metropolitan see of which is located in Pittsburgh, PA. Our metropolia is one of several autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches, also called Churches sui juris, whose hierarchs are in loyal and uncontentious union with the Apostolic See of Rome and one of a smaller group of such Churches which adhere to the liturgical and other practices of the Church of Constantinople.

According to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (2) and the commentary construing and applying the same (3), an autonomous Catholic Church is not an administrative division of the Latin or Roman Church, but a group of orthodox Christians united by a hierarchy which is self-governing, i.e., autonomous in all matters except those reserved to the Supreme Pontiff. Over 20 of such autonomous Churches exist belonging to several traditions, to wit: Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean and Constantinoplitan. Sketch of a Church

These ecclesial traditions are expressed in "rites", some of which bear the same names as the ecclesial traditions aforementioned. That is because canon law defines a "rite" as the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony, culture and circumstances of history of a distinct people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested in each Church sui juris. (Canon 28) Specifically, the Eastern rites which the canons treat are the Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean, Constantinoplitan and such other rites which the Church either expressly or tacitly recognizes as sui juris. To the reader, this may seem like a distinction without a difference. Yes and no! For example, the Armenian ecclesial tradition acknowledges only the Armenian rite as appropriate to that tradition. On the other hand, the Byzantine rite (4) is shared by two ecclesial traditions, namely the Constantinoplitan and the Antiochene. Thus the Ruthenian Catholics and the Syrian Melkites share the same Byzantine viz. Constantinoplitan rite, but belong to two distinct ecclesial traditions, namely those of Constantinople and Antioch. Stated otherwise, each autonomous Church has both the ecclesial tradition of its origin and the rite viz. specific manner of living the faith, etc., which is observed by that autonomous Church. Sketch of a Church

The term "rite" is not employed to designate the community which must properly be called a church. In summary, one can say that the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Metropolia of the United States is an autonomous church (church sui juris) in the Constantinopolitan tradition observing the Byzantine rite.

In the canon law and commentary thereon one also encounters another term, namely "particular church", which is reserved to designate a diocese or eparchy.

For more information the reader is invited to see the texts cited below in the footnotes.

FOOTNOTES:

1) In recent decades the Ruthenian Catholic Church in the United States, formerly called "Ruthenian Greek Catholic" has used the term "Byzantine Catholic" in describing itself. That term is used only by Ruthenian Catholics in the United States and nowhere else. The term "Greek Catholic" continues to be used by all other Eastern Catholics of the Constantinoplitan and Antiochene ecclesial traditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Outside of the United States, Ruthenian Catholics continue to be known as Greek Catholics.

3) Eastern Catholic Churches: Constitution and Governance, by JohnD. Faris; ISBN:0962872725

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